BEAUTIFUL CRAZY

four. tyler owens effect

Wren's hands shook a little, from excitement or fear she couldn't tell... maybe both. It wasn't like she hadn't seen a tornado since that day. She had, too many to count. But she had never willingly driven right towards a storm.

Even so, as they grew closer to the storm, she leaned towards the window to watch the clouds ahead of them... even now, she found it beautiful.

"What did the tornado cowboy have to say?" Javi asked, and it was obvious that he didn't like said cowboy.

"Exactly what you'd expect," Kate answered.

"Met a lot of tornado cowboys, have ya?" Wren mused as she leaned forward, her head between the two seats as she looked out the windshield.

Kate chuckled, glancing over at the girl before her eyes settled on the sky, "Oh, updraft is cycling." She then looked at the laptop in front of her, "okay, let's take a right up here."

Javi did as told, driving towards a wind farm. Wren leaned back, securing her seatbelt in place as she looked out the window just as a few of the turbines trembled against the wind. She sifted in her seat, taking a deep breath.

She kinda wished she had stayed back at the gas station. But when she looked out the windshield, she knew she didn't want to be anywhere else.

"It's forming just like you called it," Javi grinned, it was clear that he was excited and his excitement only fed into Wren's, a smile tugged at her lips as she watched the clouds twist as if they were in a dance.

She felt a little like she did when she was ten-years-old, entrapped by the beauty of it all as the sky darkened, strikes of lightning hitting the ground. But that feeling quickly faded as that guilt whipped through her, as if the lightning itself had stuck her. Her eyes moved to Kate, seeing the hesitant look in her eyes.

This must've been hell for her. So with a breath, she reached up and placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder. Kate let out a breath, seeming to relax a little at the contact.

"Scarecrow, Tim Man, get into position." Javi spoke into the mic hanging from his ear, letting the others know that it was time. "Wizard, stick with me."

"What's the plan?" Kate asked, glancing over at her best friend.

"So, we want a 3D scan of the entire area around the vortex, which means we're gonna surround it with three radars, each one pointed at the tornado." Javi explained, tapping the small screen to show them the plan. "Tin Man will get behind the tornado and plant his radar on the right-hand side. Scarecrow is gonna get behind the tornado and plant his on the left. And all the data that they send will be received by Wizard."

Wren leaned forward, her eyes on the screen. She didn't understand much of it, but she was intrigued. It almost made her wish she had done something with that love of tornadoes she had.

"And how 'bout Lion?" Kate asked, knowing that they were Lion.

"We gotta complete the triangle," Javi answered. "We get right in front of that thing and set up our radar." Kate tensed a little, which he noticed. "You got this, Kate. Just tell us where the front of the tornado is."

"Okay," the blonde breathed out as the vortex hit the ground.

"That's our tornado, baby!" Javi cheered, slapping the steering wheel excitedly.

"Um," Wren leaned back into her seat. "I should've rode with Scott." Javi only smiled, glancing back at her for a moment before settling his eyes on the road.

Then, outta nowhere, a familiar obnoxious red truck cut in front of them, running them off the road as music blared from inside the cab.

"He's a fucking lunatic," Wren muttered, holding onto the door to steady herself as Javi regained control, still in the grass.

"Dumbass!" He huffed, "It's like the wild wild west out here!"

"Come on, Javi, petal to the metal!" Wren shouted, a grin on her face as he pulled back onto the road, nearly going up on two wheels before the truck righted itself. "Come on! Do something!"

"Would you like to drive?"

"Yes, yes, I would actually." she nodded and he looked back at her, his eyes wide before he looked at the road again. But he couldn't get past Tyler's truck, who was making sure they couldn't get past him. Then he pulled off the road, cutting through the field and Wren unbuckled, sliding across the seat to watch them.

"Get me in front of it," Javi glanced at Kate, and she quickly looked at the laptop.

"Okay, we need to take a right. Here!"

Javi made a sharp turn, throwing Wren around in the back seat and she hit the door with a groan that was washed out as golf ball-sized hail pinged against the truck. But she kept her eyes on the red truck, a smirk pulling at her lips... he was insane.

But her smirk faded when a turbine blade broke free, nearly impaling that obnoxious truck she let out a breath when it missed, only to watch as the rest of the fan fell. She shifted around in her seat more, her eyes wide as she watched Tyler swear before it could crush them. "Fuckin' insane," she muttered, still watching as he tore through the field.

And just like the girl, a group of wannabe chasers watched the madness. Though, they all cheered like it was the best thing they had ever seen.

And she was so busy, trying to follow that stupid truck with her eyes that she jumped when Javi honked the horn and shouted upon seeing one of their own trucks parked and watching the cowboy.

"That's the Tyler Owens effect," he muttered.

"And I've been affected," Wren mumbled to herself.

"Wizard, hang back," Javi ordered, not having heard the girl. "Get those hard drives fired up."

"Copy that. Wizard hanging back."

"The path is shifting," Kate rushed out, her eyes on the screen before her. "Okay, there's a right coming up." She pointed forward and Javi turned, but it wasn't much of a road. Wren watched in awe as the tunnel swirled before them, it was beautiful.

As they approached the storm, Tin Man and Scarecrow got their PARs in position but Wren didn't care too much as she leaned forward, her hands on the central console and her eyes on the sky. "It's gorgeous," it left her on a breath and Javi smiled over his shoulder at her. He knew she didn't understand the science behind it all, but he knew she felt the same way Kate did about these storms.

"Where, Kate?" Javi asked, they were the last last piece to the puzzle. "I gotta be within three hundred meters for the radar to work."

"Almost there," Kate mumbled.

"Hey, guys, if we're in front of the tornado won't we... ya know." Wren raised her finger, twirling it as she raised her hand up.

"That's why we drop it and haul ass," Javi told her before holding up a couple pairs of goggles. "Here, guys, take these."

"Yeah, cause these are gonna help," Wren mumbled, but she took them and sat them on her nose before pushing them up into her hair. Then she watched as the wipers started to shake, "is that normal?"

"Come on, Kate. Talk to me," Javi glanced over, seeing how the girl hesitated. "We gettin' close?"

"Just up in the clearing," she rushed out and he drove towards the tornado before turning. And when the truck bed was towards the tornado he parked and the two up from slid their goggles on.

They all jumped out, Wren squinting up the sky as her hair whipped with the strong gusts of wind. Javi rushed to the tailgate, pulling it down, but Kate faltered as she looked up at the raging vortex. Wren stayed next to the truck, a small smile tugging at her lips.

If only ten-year-old Wren could see her now, facing a tornado that was coming right for her... it was morbid that that had been her dream when she was ten. But the tornado brought freedom... freedom from the sadness of the loss of her mother. Freedom from the whisky stench that hung in the air of that small shotgun house her father owned. Freedom from the man that took his anger out on a confused, unsuspecting, little girl.

"Get in the tuck!" Kate shouted, snapping Wren out of her thoughts. "Javi, Wren, get in" Javi closed the tailgate.

"What is it? What is it? What do you see?" He asked, once they were all in the truck and moving.

"This isn't right," she mumbled, her hands tight on the wheel and Wren watched her with furrowed brows, then she looked back at the tornado... she was moving away from it.

"Hang on, guys," Javi informed the rest of the team. "We're gonna find a closer spot." he glanced back before looking over at Kate again. "Is this where it's headed?"

She pulled onto the road then stopped, "Javi, I-"

He didn't give her a chance before jumping out of the trunk and rushing towards the tailgate and Wren followed, but she just watched the storm. He followed her gaze and when he realized, he slammed the tailgate.

"We're too far!"

Wren took a few steps away from the truck, completely mesmerized by the tornado. It was odd that she felt so calm, looking up at a natural disaster. She knew the destruction that followed, the pain and loss that it could cause, but that didn't take away from the beauty.

She took another step, before she heard music and she turned just as Tyler pulled up next to the truck, "Javi! What are you doing out here, man? Tornado's that way!" Then he glanced at Kate, who still sat in the truck. "Hey, Kate." Then he drove forward just a little, stopping next to Wren.

"Hey, cowboy." she smirked, looking up at him as he hung out the window.

"Wanna go for a ride?" He smirked.

"Yeah, come on!" Boone leaned over, smiling wide at the girl. She chuckled before looking up at the tornado again, sure it was beautiful... but her guilt still lingered, tainting that beauty.

"Maybe next time," she shrugged and he just nodded before driving right towards the vortex.

"They just..." Kate mumbled, joining the two outside the truck as they watched as the truck disappeared into the tornado without ever lifting off the ground. Then the tunnel lit up with red, orange, and yellow lights.

"Holy fuck," Wren grinned, pulling out her phone to film it.

"Are those fireworks?"

"Yep," Javi nodded, clearly unimpressed.

And as the tornado passed, they could faintly hear Tyler and Boone cheering and a small breath of relief left Wren when she saw the truck still intact and on the ground. She laughed as she watched them jump out of the trunk, hollerin' as they jumped around excitedly. Well, except for Ben, who doubled over and puked.

"He's insane," Kate stated.

"Yeah," Javi muttered, turning to get back into the truck and Kate followed, getting back in the passenger seat.

"Very attracted to him right now," Wren mumbled, still watching them as they got back in the truck.

"Wren," Javi called out, rolling his window down.

"I'm coming," she hummed, turning and making her way back towards the truck and just as she opened the door, Tyler pulled up next to them.

"What'd ya think of that?" Boone asked, hanging out his window and she just laughed, before they drove away. Wren smiled to herself, pulling herself into the back seat of the truck.

"I'm sorry, Javi. I... I screwed up."

He looked over at her and Wren watched them, then she saw something in Javi's eyes. Something like love and adoration and understanding. "Hey, we'll find another one. It's all part of the gig, right?"

Kate forced a smile, nodding her head, "yeah, of course."

"I'm gonna go check in with Scott," Javi glanced between the two before he stepped out of the truck and made his way towards the bed.

Wren watched as Kate kicked the inside of her door before dropping her head into her hands. She hesitated for a moment before placing her hand on her shoulder. She half expected Kate to pull away, but she didn't. She merely leaned back in her seat, moving her hand up and placing over Wren's.